Members of Teamsters Local 916 at Ascend Wellness in Barry, Illinois, voted Monday to authorize a strike as they seek their first contract. The strike was approved by a 92% margin.
In a statement, Shane Wilmer, a cultivator at Ascend and Local 916 member, said that the company “brings in millions of dollars every year off of [workers’] backs.”
“This company can afford to give us the contract we deserve. We are ready to do whatever necessary to get a fair contract, and we are not afraid to strike if that’s what it takes.” — Wilmer in a press release
The workers are seeking fair wages, affordable health care, and strong workplace protections. The union says that multiple unfair labor practice charges have been filed against Ascend, including a charge that a bargaining committee member was targeted for union activity
JP Fyans, president of Teamsters Local 916, said in a statement that the workers have been bargaining with the company for over a year and that the workers “have had enough of this company’s delay tactics.”
“Ascend’s executives have no problem paying union-busting attorneys to drag out negotiations,” Fyans said in the statement, “but when workers demand a fair contract, they suddenly claim they can’t afford it.”
Teamsters Local 916 represents more than 4,000 workers throughout the state of Illinois.
